New Delhi, June 15: Alarmed by the rising consumption and ill-effects of infant milk substitutes and complementary foods, doctors and activists have joined hands to combat the growing influence of manufacturers who have the means and the money to take control of the market.Despite a law discouraging the bottle feed culture, the sale of baby milk substitutes and related products are registering a growth with manufacturers ``destroying the spirit, if not the letter of the law'', they say, emphasising the need for stricter action to bring them around. The promotion of infant milk and food substitutes has been carried out on a much larger scale than creating awareness about their ill-effects and advantages of mother's milk, owing to aggressive advertising by corporates, they say.The ideal time for starting complementary foods for babies is after six months, but most commercials promote its use in the fourth month, which is both misleading and violative of the Infant Milk Substitute, Feeding Bottles and Infant Foods Act, says Dr R.K. Anand, head, Department of Paediatrics and Neonatology at Mumbai's Jaslok hospital.Irrespective of their education standard, women in both rural and urban areas are influenced by the `healthy baby-happy mother' commercials of the corporates persuading them to opt for infant milk and allied products.Doctors say intake of anything other than mother's milk in the first six months leads to pseudo-faltering or uneven growth and a variety of afflictions like diarrhoea, chest infection and sore throat.Dr Shashi Prabha Gupta, a senior paediatrician, who had also represented India in the Codex Committee meeting which sets rules for different committees involved in promotion of breastfeeding, says: ``Developed countries are greatly involved in making rules but they don't want to harm the interests of companies from their own region.''The Consumer Protection Act can be used as a weapon against the widespread methodology of the companies which target infants and their mothers, suggests Dr S.R. Khanna of Voice, a voluntary organisation promoting consumer rights. Realising the impact of baby food commercials, Pakistan recently banned advertisements of baby food for infants below one year. India, says Dr Anand, should take the cue from Pakistan. ``There is no need to advertise these products for any age group. They should be made available in the market for those who need them but their promotion through commercials should be banned.''Recognising the fact that infant milk and food substitutes harm the health of infants, the Indian government passed the Infant Milk Substitute, Feeding Bottles and Infant Foods (IMS) Act in 1992, which came into force in August 1993. It aims at protecting and promoting breastfeeding, ensuring the proper use of infant foods by regulating the production, supply and distribution of infant milk substitutes, feeding bottles and infant foods.The act stipulates the advertisement of cereal foods for infants only if companies carry the provisions of the Act that highlight the significance of breastfeeding and the mothers' milk on their products.The Act bans companies from giving any kind of incentives to doctors, paramedics or shop owners for promoting the sale of baby food. ``Unfortunately, the rules are often violated by companies as they go to the extent of organising baby shows and luring the doctors with gifts and other means for augmenting their sales,'' rues Dr Anand.To counter the aggressive marketing by infant food manufacturers, an increased social consciousness is required. Although some NGOs and health centres are involved in educating people about the profit-oriented motives of the corporates, government's role is equally crucial. ``The health ministry, child care organisations, UNICEF and NGOs should come together to discuss the problem and also try to find out a solution for it,'' he says.
